Tim's tag for July

Hi everyone, I'm back from my fabulous holiday in France, where I climbed a mountain to watch the Tour de France  pass by - I have the blisters to prove it and it was marvelous! So for Tim's fab challenge for this month I thought I would adapt his tag to celebrate Chris Froome's fantastic win for Sky and Britain!

To see Tim's great tag see here where he acknowledges the fallen fire-fighters of Prescott with a patriotic tag using some great techniques. Here is my acknowledgement of the great win by Chris!

 

Firstly I made the brayered background as per Tim's instructions. Then I die cut the Eiffel tower which is near the end of the race but decorated it with two little Union Jacks. I then stamped two bicycles and the words 'you're a star'. The label has well done Chris by a patriotic button and an arrow and a star given the same crackle treatment as the Eiffel. The No 1 comes from his rub-ons and the ribbon was stamped with the same 'you're a star' quote. I downloaded the Tour emblem and glazed it with Crackle accents to match.

I have to tell you all, I was on the telly! We stood near a hair-pin bend that was favoured by the camera, so when we staggered back to the chalet to watch the high-lights there we were!

 

They went by so fast that I didn't catch Chris but here is one of his fab team mates. There were so many people there, it was like a carnival.

We stayed at St Jean du Alps that had the ruins of an Abbey nearby. Beautiful! What more can I say.
 

We walked here early one morning with dew in the air and the sun coming up.

 

Stunning lakes where we sat with our dearest grandson while his mum and dad chucked themselves down mountains on their bikes!

 

Absolutely fabulous meringues, look at the colours in these! They tasted divine.
Back to work today, it goes so quickly. Hope you are having a good week too!

Sunday Stamper: Build me up Buttercup.

I have my dearest friend Sally coming to stay and so braved the sauna/craftroom to try and tidy it up a bit before she comes. Unfortunately my new Eiffel Tower die cutter yelled at me and as I am going to visit France this year I felt beholden to try it out! So sorry dear friend, the room is still in a pickle!



Firstly I swished a tag through Mustard Seed, Walnut Stain and Bronze distress stains and then overstamped Tim's French Postage stamp in coffee archival. Following this I ran the tag through the French embossing plate and used Brushed Corduroy distress ink over the top and round the edges.  Next stage was to die cut two Eiffel Towers and a Fleur de Lis and lay them on the embossing plate and send them through the vagabond. After this I coloured the Eiffels with Bronze stain and Walnut stain ink and layered them up over the impressed images. The Fleur was painted with bright yellow acrylic fluid paint and then high-lighted with Viva gold paste.

 

 

The Obelisk and Metro and flag came from a Personal Impressions stamp set and were coloured with distress markers. The Tour de Eiffee came off an old post card.

I have had my lunch and must brave the H word before I start work again later. I will try very hard not to get way-layed, but I'm making no promises. I blame the heat, it's doing things to my 'best intentions'! Keep cool one and all. x

Now don't laugh!

I really am not designed for the heat and the craftroom is like a steam room and so I really have not been able to do any papercrafting. I've tried but everything looks wrong and I can't finish it so I thought I would just show you my first attempt at rust printing! I have recently subscribed to Linda and Laura Kemshall's DMTV and have been enjoying their video lessons. If you have not already discovered their beautiful work and blogs please start here  because their art work is fabulous! Rust printing was one of the lessons and here are my pieces of fabric waiting to be included in my first attempt at an art quilt.

 



 

I have little piles of fabric I keep stroking now. I have made patchwork bed quilts and wall hangings in the past but am excited about the prospect of making an art quilt. I am determined to do this methodically and not rush in as I usually do. I'm working on some sketch books of ideas at the moment and will post a view of these when I think I have done something you may like to see.

 

Well done Chris in the Tour, I have just sat in front of the tv with a fan full on yelling my head off at the end. Goodness knows how they manage to ride like that up mountains, I felt ill just looking at them! Talk about modern day gladiators, it was marvellous! Hope you are all surviving in the sun, hope to be back soon with something papery and crafty! XX

Sunday Stampers: Every Day I Write The Book.

Hi to every dear person who reads my blog, hope you are all enjoying the sun. It's that time  of year when young folk go off travelling, families pack up for the holidays and festivals abound. (I hope Glastonbury stays dry, I can still remember when No 2 went off to it the year of THE mud!) As Hels challenge this week is the written word I thought I would make a small canvas with lots of words as a double meaning because it is through travel and experience that we write the book of our life? I hope you agree any way!



I gesso'd a small canvas, then used distress stain and paint for the background. The legs stamp is by Paper Bag Studio's, the small script on the side is a clear Tim Holtz stamp and I used his rub on words and ticket and metal word strip. the FLY stamp is by crescendoH and I found a small collage picture in my stash, then I hung it by a piece of knotted string. I wonder where you are all going this year? I am off later on in the year to Scotland to visit Iona which has been a dream for so long! Can't wait, we are going up on the sleeper train, what fun! But before that I am seeing Robbie Williams on Sunday at Wembley, not bad for 63 aye? I shall rock along with the young-uns! Have an adventurous week one and all, thanks for looking. x

Sunday Stampers: My Guy.

Greetings one and all. I treated myself to Tim's men stamps on Friday so was delighted to see Hel's challenge  over on Sunday Stampers for this fathers day is My Guy, and so has given me a good excuse to break them in! I have had a lovely Sunday with My Guy, as our three daughters all met up at No 1's home and contributed to a lovely feast for him, which included my dearest son-in-law and edible grandson and No 3's fab. boyfriend so it was a houseful! I got back a little while ago and hot-footed it to the craft room to come up with this card.

 



Firstly I inked a background on a large Kraft blank with coffee archival and a watch backgound stamp. Then I had a eureka moment. I couldn't remember where I put my black card stock, so I cut up some black fun foam instead - guess what? It's brilliant as it gives depth to the card without making the front weigh heavy against the back. Must remember this one! Then I took some gold paper and some black and white ledger paper from my stash and ran a piece of white card stock through the vagabond with the clock embossing folder. This was duly coloured with Rusty Hinge, Weathered Wood and Vintage Paper inks and the edges distressed and inked with Black Soot. The man has been given the water colour treatment with my distress markers, then I used photo corners and distress  painted a glary silver watch embelishment with Distress Paints and it looks better for it I might add! The sentiment was mounted on black fun foam and there we go! I never have men cards in my stock, so this will come in handy. Hope you have all had a lovely Sunday with your Guys, I'm settling down later with a glass of vino d'plonk to enjoy the White Queen. Thanks for looking. x

 

Tim's June tag with a purple haze!

Hi everyone, isn't it a glorious day? I have been busy in the garden so have not been a good blogger for a while, but I love Tim's June tag and so enjoyed making it, that then I thought I would have a go at doing it my way so I offer up the two for your perusal! Here firstly is my colour and stamp edition: 

 



I used all Tim's techniques, using Picked Raspberry Distress paint, Dusty Concord inkpad and Brushed Pewter stain for the background with the Papillon background stamp in archival. For the water-coloured image I chose a Paperbag Studio stamp which is one of my favourites and coloured it as his instructions with my water brush and Distress markers in matching colours. The ribbon at the top was stained to match and I found some co-ordinating beads to accent. I should like to also enter this for Hels challenge over at the Sunday stampers which is Purple Haze as it seemed to appropriate not to double up as the colour goes! Here next is the first tag I did in which I tried to copy Tim's as far as possible, never quite looks as good as the great mans' tho!

 

I love taking part in this challenge as you learn so much from him. I did his course 'Creative Chemistry' and learnt lots of techniques using the distress range but it's good to have a masterpiece to copy! I especially love the way you can use the inks, stains and paints to make the fabby background. Well I hope to be back a lot sooner than last time, have a good week everyone, thanks for looking. xx

Sunday Stampers: Some like it hot!

I surely surely would......like it hot that is! I'm contemplating putting the heating on again! On to warmer thoughts, Hels has challenged us to use the melt pot this week and so I had to make one of the faux porcelain flower roses and have put it on top of a little box to hold a gift for someone special. 



I crackle painted a little box with red and gold acrylic paint and some distressing paste I had, I know that you can buy paint ready crackled which is easier but I wanted to use this up. I deliberately did it roughly as I wanted it to look old. Then I made the rose by stamping out the rose onto some patterned paper that I then covered in aged mahogany ink and then I dipped each layer in hot UTE before assembling. I tried to make some drips as if it had just rained (I looked for inspiration outside the window - ha ha) and then stuck it on top of the box with some spare UTE. I lined the box with a piece of gold patterned paper and now it is ready to hold some tissue paper and some jewellery I am trying to make! I am imagining everyone playing with their melt pots this week, what a great challenge, I shall off to enjoy everyone's masterpieces now! Have a lovely week. x